Memories of a Lullaby
by Your Guardian Demon
Summary: Only Sebastian saw Ciel at his weakest point. Only the nightmares could have brought this on. One-shot


Sebastian had first heard their small chime in the dead of night. There had been yet another invasion of the manor that night, and as the last intruder fell, the first note rose. Sebastian heard the hauntingly beautiful, yet slightly eerie melody quite clearly coming from his master's bedroom. For a moment, he just stood there, mesmerized. That song was achingly familiar... He stood shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It was _far_ too late for the young master to be awake. He quickly cleaned up the bodies littering the ground and made his way the Ciel's bedroom.

The demon suddenly stopped just outside the door, listening intently. Ciel was quietly humming to the sad melody. The boy's voice was small and quiet and filled with warmth. It carried enough emotion to give someone chills. Sebastian closed his eyes, fighting the sudden flood of memories the song triggered. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Whether or not Ciel heard Sebastian enter, the boy kept humming. It wasn't until Sebastian sat down next to him that he looked up from the small box he held in his hands. The demon instantly recognized it as a music box.

"You didn't have to stop," Sebastian said. "You a rather talented, master."

Ciel shut the box, silencing it.

"Mother always loved music," He said simply. "She used to have these all over the house. Only a few survived the fire."

The boy reached for a chest hidden under his bed. He pulled it out and opened it, revealing a small collection of the music boxes. Sebastian reached for the box in Ciel's hand.

"May I?" he asked.

Ciel nodded and handed the box to the demon. Sebastian opened it, and sighed when the ballad filled the room again.

"That was her favorite," Ciel said softly. "She used to sing that song to Father and me. I don't even remember the name of it."

Sebastian looked down at his master. The child stared at the box, seemingly lost in memories.

"My lord," Sebastian asked. "Are you alright?"

Ciel nodded.

"Yes," he said vaguely. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Sebastian smirked.

"Well," he started. "Forgive me master, but I was simply wondering what you are doing up so late. It's well past midnight, sir."

Ciel thought for a moment. He had taken another music box from the chest and stared at it, holding it with something close to reverence. Sebastian saw him trying to blink away tears.

"I had a bad dream," he said. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

While Sebastian knew Ciel was telling the truth, he also knew that the boy was holding something back.

"Well, in that case, I shall be taking my leave then," he said while handing the box back to Ciel. "Please, do try and get some sleep, my lord."

The demon stood to leave. He turned his back on the boy, but felt a sudden weight on his arm. He looked back and saw Ciel grasping his wrist. Though the boy's face was half hidden by his hair, Sebastian could clearly see the tears flowing freely down his face. Ciel's small body shook with the sobs he tried to hold in.

"You said you would never leave my side, Sebastian," he said. "Don't go. Stay here with me. Please."

Sebastian didn't need to ask if that was an order. He plopped himself back down beside his master and put his arm around his shoulder, much like a father would a child. Sebastian was slightly amused. His master, usually appearing so calm and mature, was acting like the child he truly was. Sebastian was the only one who saw the boy at his weakest. Only the nightmares could have brought this on.

"I m- miss them," Ciel cried quietly. "I miss t- them so much it h- hurts."

The boy turned his head and cried into Sebastian's shoulder. The demon, though slightly repulsed by his master's pitiful display, responded by pulling the boy closer to him, trying to offer him the comfort he so desperately missed.

"That's all I h- have left of t- them," Ciel murmured. "A ch- chest of old music b-boxes."

Sebastian shushed the boy and pulled him onto his lap. The music box fell from Ciel's hands and landed open on the floor. The bittersweet melody rang out once again. Sebastian gently rocked and hummed to the boy, until he fell asleep in his butler's arms. The demon held him like that for the rest of the night, and next morning neither of them spoke of it.

* * *

_**Music box: watch?v=fIsYpdBQIjA  
If you want to download, message me and I'll send you the link. I do not own the song.**_

**_I thought about the song that would go with this story for a while. I was going for something a little ironic, yet dark all the same. Despite the song's title, the lyrics are actually very sick and twisted. That being the case, I'll leave you to figure out Sebastian's ties with the song on your own ;)_**

_**I tried to keep these two as in character as possible, while at the same time I wanted to emphasize their relationship. I've always believed that these too have a father-son relationship, not lovers. I tired to keep this as canon as possible, so if you let me know how I did in the reviews it would be greatly appreciated.**_


End file.
